Chapter 2: A Straightforward Opening — It Wasn’t Like This in the Game!

“Running that fast?”

The figure of the other person leaving didn’t show the slightest hint of hesitation.

Zhou Qingqing tilted her head with a face full of confusion, wondering to herself if the competition among couriers had become that fierce lately for them to be in such a rush.

“Come to think of it, who sent this to me? Why is it so heavy…?”

After retracting her gaze, Zhou Qingqing gave the package in her hand a suspicious shake.

A muffled thumping sound echoed from within the box.

She suddenly noticed that the outermost part of the box was only sealed with a single, thin layer of tape.

It was a crude job.

With a light press of her hand, she pushed the box right open.

“How was this even sealed? Weren’t they afraid things would fall out?”

Just as the words left her mouth and the seal of the box was torn open, she saw a slightly reddish cylinder lying right in the center.

The sight of it felt strangely familiar.

After pulling back the flap on the other side, she saw a bundle of several red cylinders tied together, looking like a pack of ham sausages placed in the middle.

“What is this?”

Zhou Qingqing reached out and gave it a gentle flip, only to see a familiar digital watch attached to the top.

After a brief second of stunned silence, a ticking sound began to chime.

‘Oh my god! A bo—!!’

In an instant, flames erupted.

Zhou Qingqing only felt a wave of heat against her face.

As her consciousness grew hazy, she thought she saw a figure appear before her.

“The wager is ready, and I’m just waiting for you to take your seat at the table, my dearest Ace of Spades~”

***

Her memories of the transmigration ended abruptly there.

No matter how much she racked her brain, Zhou Qingqing couldn’t imagine what had happened afterward.

When she woke up, she was sitting inside this crude wooden cabin.

She couldn’t think of a single thing she had done to deserve such hatred.

To send her on her way, someone had even rigged a timed bomb for an instantaneous explosion, as if they were terrified she might actually survive.

‘Ugh! I must have been blown beyond recognition. I would have rather been sent away by a big truck!’

Though she complained, her eyes were drawn to her reflection when her fingers brushed against the mirror in front of her.

Her night-like eyes stared back from the glass, her long, deep-black hair draped over her body.

Ever since she transmigrated, she had already marveled at her beautiful face, but seeing it again, she still felt like she could never grow tired of it.

‘Hiss, why am I so pretty? Being this beautiful is going to make it impossible to show off my other strengths…’

Zhou Qingqing looked at her reflection and slowly lifted her Central Nun outfit.

She could even see her slender legs tightly wrapped in black silk stockings.

She was a perfect blend of sensuality and aloofness.

She was impossibly beautiful.

Although there was a hint of narcissism in her thoughts, the facts were right in front of her.

However, there would come a time in the future when Zhou Qingqing would feel troubled by her beauty.

After all, being too beautiful would always invite prying eyes—a rule that applied to everyone.

‘But these clothes… am I actually a nun?’

Though she was confused, she wasn’t certain yet.

However, seeing the various panels hovering nearby, Zhou Qingqing reached out.

Her hand passed right through them; clearly, these things were only visible to her.

‘I even have a system? It looks like my life after transmigrating won’t have to be so difficult…’

Just as Zhou Qingqing was wondering how to use it, rows of information listed themselves before her eyes before she could even think of what to do.

[Status Window]

Name: Zhou Qingqing

Faction: Orderly Faction, The Holy See

Identity: Central Nun

Order Level: Ninth Order

Title: The Gambler on the Game Table, Central Nun

Skills: Recovery Magic, Illumination Magic

Faith: Faithless

From a world unknown, you require no faith.

Even so, your guide will still watch over you as deserved.

However, perhaps you will become the existence the witch relies on most.

Looking at the panel displayed before her, Zhou Qingqing let out a small sigh.

The information was exactly like a character identity card from a game.

‘I really did transmigrate into a game. If that’s the case, don’t tell me I’m supposed to conquer witches like in the game…?’

Zhou Qingqing froze for a second.

After all, this identity card made her just a nun.

The identity cards she usually chose in the game were of the Saintess or Bishop types.

The gap between identity cards determined one’s initial resources.

A sense of hopelessness washed over her.

As a nun, let alone conquering a witch, she wouldn’t even have many chances to interact with one.

Furthermore, it was a high-risk profession.

Zhou Qingqing still remembered that while playing the game, she would frequently receive reports stating that a nun from somewhere had been snatched back to a nest by a Succubus to be used as a brood bed.

Then there would be reports of a nun being captured by the Vampire Queen to serve as a blood slave.

Even the allied Elf race had reports of missing nuns.

On the surface, The Holy See was powerful, but in private, nuns had practically become a form of currency.

‘A nun is basically just an NPC character…’

‘What a disastrous start!’

Recalling her time in the game, Zhou Qingqing had always set herself up with high Order Level identities, but those witches were incredibly sensitive precisely because of her faction status with The Holy See.

After all, The Holy See and the witches were inherently hostile forces.

Their favorability would nearly turn into pure enmity upon meeting.

Now, not only did she have the identity of The Holy See, but she was also a pathetically weak nun.

‘This way, not only do I have a natural hostility debuff, but I also have to worry about my own safety…’

With a hint of irritation in her eyes, Zhou Qingqing looked at her panel, trying to find some useful information, but she couldn’t find anything after staring for a long time.

‘At least being in the Orderly Faction is fine. At least I don’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back while sleeping at night…’

Back when she played the game, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried joining the Chaotic Faction.

After all, witches belonged to the chaotic-neutral side.

She had considered the idea of approaching them through the Chaotic Faction before.

But the difficulty was simply too high.

Within the Chaotic Faction, it was easy to get entangled with a Succubus, and one wrong move would result in a corruption CG.

Even if one avoided the Succubi, they would be harrassed by other chaotic creatures because there were absolutely no rules.

‘Hehe, is it possible that even after transmigrating, I still have to work hard to survive as a bottom-tier laborer…?’

Just as Zhou Qingqing knelt on the ground, feeling like there was no hope left in life, a sudden, urgent knocking came from the door, instantly putting her on high alert.

The knocking sounded frantic, as if the person outside was in a desperate hurry.

Zhou Qingqing slowly stood up from the floor.

After a moment of internal struggle, she hesitantly turned the doorknob.

Since her identity card was already set and this wasn’t a game, she couldn’t change it.

She might as well take things as they came.

When she opened the door, a young girl wearing a nun’s habit stood there.

However, the girl’s habit was somewhat plain, lacking the luxury of her own.

The girl’s eyes were covered by black silk, and seeing her panting for breath, Zhou Qingqing grew curious.

What could possibly make this little nun so anxious?

“May the Goddess be with you, Lady Central Nun! Thank goodness you’re here! We! We caught one!!”

Upon seeing the door open, the girl first gave a respectful bow and then hurriedly spoke of her purpose.

Zhou Qingqing froze after hearing her.

She didn’t realize what the girl meant at first and only subconsciously asked what they had caught.

Hearing this, the little nun tilted her head in confusion and answered honestly.

“W-Why, we caught a witch, of course…”

“A… A witch…!”

[Ding!]

[As the Central Nun, choose your method of handling this matter:]

[Option One: “I have to handle this too? Deal with it yourselves…”]

(Will no longer trigger the Ice Frost Witch side quest; enter The Holy See main quest)

[Option Two: “A witch? Bring her to my room; I’ll interrogate her personally~”]

(Ice Frost Witch alertness increases; triggers CG plot: [Frost’s Humiliation])

[Option Three: “The Goddess forgives all. Even for a witch, I shall act as the Goddess’s mercy.”]

(Path of enlightenment; turn the witch into a believer of the Goddess: [Heresy’s Faith])

The moment Zhou Qingqing saw the word “witch,” her mind began to race, and she panicked.

She especially lost her composure when her gaze landed on Option One and saw the hint about the Ice Frost Witch.

‘They caught the Ice Frost Witch? Impossible! She’s known as the White Disaster!’

‘If they really caught the Ice Frost Witch, would they even let me interrogate her?’

She had never expected that right after transmigrating, she would come face-to-face with a witch—and the very Ice Frost Witch she had failed to conquer in the game.

Zhou Qingqing was no longer calm.

‘In the game, my identity was the Saintess of The Holy See. Now I’m just a little nun. If I face the Ice Frost Witch, won’t I just be farmed like an NPC…?’

Zhou Qingqing felt a headache coming on.

She took a slow step back, even considering the idea of running away.

She suppressed her inner excitement and fear, gently rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

However, while she was worrying about the witch, she failed to notice that the little nun beside her was staring at her intently through the black veil.

‘Ooh, Lady Central Nun looks so beautiful even when she’s troubled. I really want to take off my veil. No, no, I’ll fall for her completely if I do…!’

The little nun shook her head to keep herself calm.

She took a deep breath, stepped back, and lowered her head, trying to stop herself from looking.

Even with her eyes covered, the little nun’s heart felt like a fluttering deer.

After all, Zhou Qingqing was the only Central Nun in the entire cathedral.

She was the existence closest to the Saintess and the Bishop.

Aside from respecting her status, it seemed that every nun in the cathedral would instinctively feel a bit shy whenever they talked about this black-haired nun.

At this moment, the little nun’s face was flushed as she bowed her head, seemingly not daring to meet her gaze.

However, Zhou Qingqing noticed none of this.

It seemed that Zhou Qingqing had underestimated her own charm from the very beginning.

Thus, while facing the little nun, she only thought about her own problems.

‘The Ice Frost Witch isn’t someone I can handle right now. Should I just ignore this…?’

Zhou Qingqing hesitated while looking at Option One, but her gaze was soon drawn to [Frost’s Humiliation] in Option Two.

‘I should probably pick Option One. Option Two is too risky, and Option Three doesn’t look like a good choice either…’

After making up her mind, she resolutely made her choice.

However, ten minutes later, Zhou Qingqing sat on a sofa with her legs crossed.

She watched a girl, her hands bound by chains, slowly walk into the room.

A trace of excitement even flickered in her eyes.

‘I just wanted to find some clues. It’s definitely not for some kind of Frost’s Humiliation. Definitely not…’